Decks cleared for launch of ‘Apni Party’ in Srinagar on March 8

In a first, a new political party in Jammu and Kashmir called the ‘Jammu and Kashmir Apni (own) Party’ (JKAP) will be launched on Sunday. This comes after the Centre revoked the special status of erstwhile State under Article 370.

Syed Basharat, PRO of the new formation in an emailed statement to media, said: “It is to inform you that former finance minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari is scheduled to launch a new political party in Srinagar.”

According to the leaders of the party, the primary aim of forming a new political party is to “provide relief to people who have been facing uncertainty since August 5 last year.”

Businessman-turned-politician Bukhari (60), a graduate in Agriculture Science, has been joined by politicians from various other parties, including the National Conference (NC), the PDP, the Congress, and the BJP.

Among the prominent leaders set to join him are Vijay Bakaya, Usman Majid, Ghulam Hassan Mir, Javed Beg, Dilawar Mir, Noor Muhammad, Zaffar Manhas, Abdul Majid Paddar, Abdul Rahim Rather, Gagan Bhagat and Manjeet Singh, all former legislators.

Last year in December Congress Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad had called Bukhari emerging led new political setup as proxies of the BJP.

The new party aims to take on regional outfits – the NC and the PDP, whose leaders, including Farooq Abdullah and his son Omar Abdullah, and Mehbooba Mufti, have been booked under the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA). These leaders were initially kept in preventive detention and later, booked under the PSA.

Bukhari, who had emerged as the mutual candidate for the post of chief minister after PDP chief and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti had staked claim to form the government in November 2018 with the support of the NC and the Congress legislators, started confabulations to structure a new party following the abrogation of J&K’s special status under Article 370 last August.

A former legislator from Amira Kadal constituency in Srinagar, he served as R&B, education and finance minister during the PDP-BJP coalition government from March 2015 to June 2018. Originally hailing from north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, Bukhari joined the PDP in 2004 and was considered as close to party founder and former chief minister late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.

He is one of the J&K’s top businessmen and had served as the PDP’s treasurer for many years. However, after Sayeed’s death in 2016 and the Mehbooba Mufti’s elevation as chief minister, Bukhari was sidelined for some time, but after pressure from legislators and workers, was given the important portfolio of education in the cabinet.

But soon after the fall of Mehbooba led government, he started to hobnob with the BJP top brass and was among a few local politicians, who were not jailed after the revocation of Article 370 on August 5 last year.

Earlier last year, Bukhari’s brother was reportedly questioned by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in New Delhi over the alleged terror funding case. “Bukhari has deep connections in New Delhi as well as Islamabad and he is emerging as a new leader in the changed political map of Kashmir,” sources said.